The very qualities that annoyed me about it at first - the "proper" musicality, the lack of rough edges - are what draws me to it now.

These 13 dusky ditties almost always enchant.

Despite initial misgivings, "The Contino Sessions" has a hypnotic effect that does shine through and is one album that improves upon repeat listens. While not perfect ... "The Contino Sessions" is a dark, mysterious album that will leave you with more questions than answers.

"Ghost" marks the welcome debut of a more body-oriented brand of user-friendly experimentation - crisp and cool, yet dionysian at the same time.

The overlong LP... reveals an artist who could use some discipline, but there's enough melody, wit and funk hidden among these 14 tracks to brighten any R&B fan's Christmas.

The lushness of 1992's "Love Deluxe" has given way to an understatement so pronounced it's almost jarring; this LP sounds like it was recorded in zero gravity.

The entire LP takes on a sort of plodding sameness even as the overall sonics soar.

"Central Reservation" is a decidedly grown-up pleasure and Orton is an artist who succeeds splendidly on her own modest terms.

It's as if there's an optimal number of musical ideas per song, and the album falls apart when the number spikes too high - or dips too low.

New treats for established fans and a quick overview for the newly curious.

Much of the music's electronic undertow has receded, leaving Laetitia Sadier and Mary Hansen's airy melodies and counter-melodies stranded in gassy lounge-pop compositions that sound merely retro instead of retro-futuristic.

What once sounded like a compelling dance-pop concept now seems genial, verging on retro.

Oh, there are moments of pure wonder, to be sure, but they're sandwiched between tracks that either retread old ideas or execute less impressive new ones.

When you string them all together and play them to the bleachers, "Cups" and "Push Upstairs" and "Shudder/King of Snake" sound remarkably interchangeable.

Unfortunately, the melodic acumen Merritt displayed on last year's Magnetic Fields opus, "69 Love Songs," is largely AWOL on "I'm Lonely and I Love It."

In the year between its European and its and U.S. releases, "Movement" lost four tracks and gained four others, but these dubious "improvements" turned the disc from a decent dance-pop LP to a blatant, though scattered, crossover bid.

The LP comes off like a gently melodious but ultimately odorless fart. That is to say, it's practically invisible and it's easy to forget about once the moment has, ahem, passed.